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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098701">Find You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NancyandNed/pseuds/NancyandNed'>NancyandNed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Today Until Forever [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Athletes, Blackmail, Case Fic, College, Death Threats, Detectives, Drugs, Established Relationship, F/M, Kidnapping, Major Character Injury, Missing Persons, Mystery, Peril, Sports, Stabbing, Stalking, Worry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:34:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,174</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NancyandNed/pseuds/NancyandNed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nancy races against time to find Ned when he goes missing during a case that had come to a dead end.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Today Until Forever [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Nancy paced up and down outside the Emersonville police station. She felt livid.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Ned had been missing all night but the detectives she'd spoken to had clearly stated that they couldn't take any action unless he had been gone for over twenty four hours. He was an adult and apparently a lot of college students disappeared for a weekend with their friends before returning to their hostels a couple of days later.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>But Ned wouldn't just leave without telling anyone. The detectives had even brushed her off when she'd mentioned that she was worried about him as he'd been working on a case.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Kids these days watch those detective shows and think they're the smartest things in the world." Detective Phillips had remarked with disdain.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It had all started last week.</p>
</div><div><p>Ned hadn't been able to make it back home for the weekend as Omega Chi was holding a fundraiser. Instead, Nancy had driven down to help out and spend the Sunday with him.</p>
<p></p><div><p>It had only been her second visit since he'd shifted to the frat house and she had been introduced to more of the frat brothers. Ned had been especially excited for her to meet one of them.</p></div><div><p>Joshua Moore. Senior and one of the stars of Emerson's track team. He had been receiving anonymous threats to quit the team and so as soon as he'd heard that Nancy was a detective, Joshua had requested Ned to ask her for help.</p></div><div><p>However, Nancy had to return to River Heights for school so Ned had promised to continue the investigation for her.</p></div><div><p>They hadn't found much at all. In fact, all three of them had started coming to the conclusion that they had just been pranks.</p></div><div><p>Until last night, when Ned had texted her that he'd found out something important. He had promised to call and explain later but hadn't. Not thinking much about it, the next day being a Saturday she had headed to Emerson like they'd planned earlier.</p></div><div><p>However, on arriving at Omega Chi, people had been shocked to see her. Because Ned hadn't returned last night. Even his car was gone so naturally everyone believed he'd returned home for the weekend.</p></div><div><p>But he hadn't. So where was he?</p></div><div><p>She stopped pacing when she caught a glimpse of Joshua's blond head among the people exiting the station. His face wore a grim expression.</p></div><div><p>"What happened?" She asked when he reached her.</p></div><div><p>"I don't think they believe me. If anything, they think it was a harmless prank. The fact that I couldn't show them the notes makes things worse."</p>
<p></p><div><p>"Are you sure you gave Ned all five of them?" She asked as she got behind the driver's wheel.</p></div><div><p>"Positive. But he might still have them in his room." Joshua said, getting into the co-drivers seat.</p></div><div><p>She nodded. She had already thought of looking through Ned's room.</p></div><div><p>"Joshua, why don't you suspect anyone from the track team? Jealousy can bring out the worst in your closest friends."</p></div><div><p>"Frankly, because I don't see a motive. The States and Nationals are over. There isn't any major competition in months."</p></div><div><p>"Aren't you participating in the University Championships next month?"</p></div><div><p>"I am. But you see, even if I dropped out now, it wouldn't benefit anyone. Applications closed months ago. Rules were to send in two names. A main participant and a standby just in case. In fact, I'm the standby. I'll be going only because Alex Wheeler got injured. If I drop out and Alex is still unable to participate, nobody gets to go."</p></div><div><p>Nancy had heard about Alex Wheeler. The son of the track team's coach, he was one of Emerson's greatest assets.</p></div><div><p>"So what made you suspect Sheena?"</p></div><div><p>Through the corner of her eye, she saw Joshua turn red.</p>
<p></p><div><p>Sheena Easton was his ex girlfriend. When he had first asked Nancy for help, he'd reluctantly admitted that she had been his first guess.</p></div><div><p>"Sheena and I have known each other since we were kids. We only got together in college and she's always been understanding. I mean two months ago, we were talking about getting married. And then, Coach asked me to participate and I got so busy with training and college and jobs that we hardly saw each other. Suddenly, it was like she couldn't stand the sight of me. It was only after she broke up with me that I realized that she must have felt neglected. Plus there was the fact that the notes stopped after we broke up."</p></div><div><p>"So you still think it was her?"</p></div><div><p>Joshua sighed heavily.</p></div><div><p>"No. Not at all. Actually last night I was going to ask Ned to just forget about all this. I haven't received another note in over two weeks. I was sure someone was just messing with me. And now Ned's missing and I don't know what to think any more. I'm sorry, Nancy. For getting both of you into this mess."</p></div><div><p>"It's not your fault. And we'll find him</p></div><div><p>Don't worry." Nancy wished she completely believed her words.</p></div><div><p>She dropped Joshua off at Omega Chi and then drove to Packard Hall where she was staying with her old friend, Sarah. She needed to get her case diary where she'd written down everything Ned had found out yet.</p></div><div><p>Opening the door with the key Sarah had given her, Nancy almost stepped over the piece of paper on the floor.</p></div><div><p>Frowning, she picked it up.</p>
<p></p><div>
<p></p><div><p>The bloodied note slipped from Nancy's fingers and slowly drifted towards the floor.</p></div><div><p><em>No</em>. This was what she'd feared. It could not actually be happening.</p></div><div><p>
              <em>Go to the police and you'll never see Ned Nickerson again.</em>
            </p></div><div><p>Feeling her legs buckle under her, Nancy slid down onto the floor and curled up with her head on her knees. She felt faint.</p></div><div><p>Some part of her had hoped the police were right. But of course they weren't.</p></div><div><p>Not Ned. <em>Not her Ned.</em></p></div><div><p>But some voice of reason told her that this was not the time to panic. She had to find him. And so she forced herself to take deep breaths and get herself together.</p></div><div><p>Feeling her breathing return to normal, Nancy used a napkin to pick up the note from the floor and inspect it. Black print on usual office paper. Exactly like the five notes Joshua had received so far. Except this one was smeared with red at one corner.</p></div><div><p>It could be ink. She prayed it was ink.</p></div><div><p>She couldn't risk his life by going to the police. The kidnapper already knew where she lived. For all she knew, he could be watching her right now. Her only hope was to find some clue in his room to where all he'd been and then try to retrace his steps.</p>
<p></p><div><p>Wrapping the note in the napkin, Nancy put it in her bag and headed out.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Nancy, we have to go to the police." Joshua said from the floor of Ned's room.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nancy sighed in frustration. So far they'd found no clues in Ned's room.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>All she'd learnt from his friends was this. Someone had seen him leaving the gym around six in the evening. But he hadn't returned until after eight. According to his roommate he had mentioned that he might be heading home the next day.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was around this time that he had sent out two messages. One to her promising to call later. Another one to Joshua asking him to meet him by the Emerson lake at ten. Around 9:50 this had been followed by another message asking Joshua to not come as something had come up and he was on his way to River Heights.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>But he wasn't in River Heights. His parents had confirmed it. She'd already called the hospitals around just in case. Any calls to his cell had gone straight to voicemail. She had tried her best to not alarm both his parents and his friends so far. But she couldn't quite manage to stop the panic building up in her own heart.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nancy what's the next step?" Joshua spoke again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Do you have to get to work?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He nodded.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Do that. I'll call if I find something."</p>
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p>After he left, she sat at his desk and opened his laptop. She didn't know what she was looking for. Something. Anything that would shed some light on what had transpired leading up to his disappearance.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>They sometimes wrote emails to each other describing their day so the first thing she did was log onto his email. She already knew his passwords so she didn't have any trouble.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>She was hoping that he might have had unfinished draft or...</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>7 unread emails. Nancy frowned. They were all from the same address. She clicked on the most recent one.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>
      <em>Dear User,</em>
    </p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>
      <em>Someone tried to log into your SafeNotes account through the SafeNotes Mobile App. Click here to access your private notepad.</em>
    </p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>SafeNotes was a pretty popular app. She herself used it to keep passwords or jot down her thoughts when her case diary wasn't around.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Nancy gasped when she saw the time the email had arrived. 0800 hours. That was just a few hours earlier!</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Quickly she went through all of them. The first one was from 10:30pm last night. Around the time Ned went missing. There was no doubt. Whoever had kidnapped him had his phone and was looking for something.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Quickly, she clicked on the link. It led her to SafeNote's online database where she was asked to enter a four digit PIN.</p>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>Nancy tried every combination of important dates. Every time she got it wrong, she received a similar email.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Finally it was her birthday which did the trick. That broke her heart a little but she refused to let her emotions take control over her.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>At first glance what she saw were various folders- Passwords, Music, Class Notes, Addresses...<em>Cases</em>.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>She opened the Cases folder. The most recent one was titled 'Josh'.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Excitement building up in her, she opened it.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Ned had made some sort of a to-do list of actions he'd taken with respect to the case, the suspects, people he'd spoken to, short accounts of his thoughts. The first few entries were from earlier that week and Nancy already knew about these developments.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>However, scrolling down she found four new entries she had no idea about.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>
        <em>Talk to Sheena.</em>
      </p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>
        <em>Drugs?? Blackmail? Jefferson?</em>
      </p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>
        <em>Confront Josh.</em>
      </p>
      <p></p>
      <div>
        <p>
          <em>Call Nancy.</em>
        </p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Drugs? What had Ned found out from Sheena? Why confront Josh? Could he have been sending the notes himself? But what was the motive? And who was Jefferson? She'd never heard of him.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Nancy closed Ned's laptop and for a second looked sadly at the picture of them he kept on his nightstand. Slowly, a small smile lit up across her lips. Now, she had some idea of what he'd been up. And she wasn't going to rest until she found him.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Nancy knocked on Sheena,'s door. She had decided to not ask Joshua for her address. Since the very beginning, he had been quite skittish about them talking to her. Initially, they'd thought it was because things were awkward between the once couple but now that he was potential suspect, she did not want him to know what she was up to.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Instead, she'd asked Sarah.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>A pretty African American girl, a few inches shorter than Nancy opened the door.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"Hi. I'm Nancy Drew. Are you Sheena Eaton?"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"That'll be me." She smiled. "How may I help you?"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"I was wondering if you talked to my friend Ned Nickerson last night."</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Sheena's face lost the friendly look.</p>
        <p></p>
        <div>
          <p>"I did." She did not make any attempt to invite her in.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"Sheena please. I'm a private investigator. Ned has been missing since last night. You might be one of the last people who saw him."</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>Nancy saw the other girl's eyes become round. Without any warning, she pulled Nancy into her room and closed the door.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>Gesturing at Nancy to sit on of the twin beds, she spoke.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I'll help in any way I can." Her voice quivered.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"What did Ned ask you?"</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"He asked me why...why I broke up with Josh."</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"And?" Nancy prompted.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>Sheena sucked in an audible breath.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I told him it was because things were not working out between us. But..but he didn't believe me. And he said something about Josh being in trouble and showed me some notes..."</p>
          <p></p>
          <div>
            <p>To Nancy's surprise, Sheena burst into tears.</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>"What's the real reason?" She asked gently when the other girl had calmed down.</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>"It happened about three weeks ago. I'd gone to the tracks to watch Josh practice and he asked me to fetch his bottle from his kit. I was looking for it when I found something else. A small bottle of pills."</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>Pills! Ned had mentioned drugs and this could mean...</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>"This came at a time when rumours regarding the use of performance drugs among athletes here at Emerson had been swirling for a few weeks." Sheena continued. "I'm an athlete myself, Nancy. And I respect the game way too much to be with someone who doesn't. I..I tried to inform the Coach or the Dean but I..I couldn't quite make myself do it. Eventually, I just broke up with him."</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>"Are you sure? Why didn't you try to talk to Joshua?"</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>Sheena's expression turned stone cold.</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>"I'm a student of Kinesiology and sports management, Nancy. Believe me, I know the names of all kinds of drugs used as dope. And I did. For a while I wanted to help him. But he was never around. Sometimes it was classes. Or practice. Or his jobs. I understand he needs the money but it was seeming to me like he was trying to avoid me. He'd been so distant for the last few months and I guess I figured it was because he had something to hide. After a while I just got tired. In the end I never actually got to ask him about it."</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>Nancy was still processing this when a knock sounded against the door.</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>Sheena violently rubbed her face clean and put on a fake smile before answering.</p>
            <p></p>
            <div>
              <p>"Come in!"</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>"Hey Shee. I'm out of highlighters. Could I borrow one? Oh hey! I'm Kourtney. I live next door." The tall brunette in a shiny sports attire said, smiling at Nancy.</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>"I'm Nancy. I'm just visiting." She smiled back, not wanting to reveal more than required.</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>After Kourtney had left, Nancy continued her investigation.</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>"And what did you do with the pills?"</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>A troubled expression flitted across Sheena's face. "I took them and later flushed them down the toilet. Threw away the empty bottle in the trash." She shook her head sadly. "It goes against my ethics. But at that time all I could think of was that if someone else found it and reported it to the Coach, Joshua would be rusticated. And I loved him too much for that to happen. I guess that's why even though I felt guilty for hiding it I couldn't quite make myself report it either."</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>Nancy reached over and squeezed the other girl's shoulder reassuringly.</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>"I understand. And you told Ned all this last night?"</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>She nodded.</p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p>"I haven't been going to the gym much lately. But yesterday I did. I was just leaving when Ned caught up to me. I've never had much time to hang out at Omega Chi but I did recognise Ned as one of the guys." She sighed heavily. "Despite trying not to, I've been desperate to know what's going on with Josh. So when he said Josh might be in danger I couldn't help it. I called him up here to my room for privacy."</p>
              <p></p>
              <div>
                <p>"He told you about the threats?"</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>Sheena nodded again. "Yeah. And he didn't explicitly state it but I figured he suspected me. So I had to tell the truth. Other than what I've already told you, Ned asked me whether I knew of any people who might have a grudge against Joshua. I don't. After this he left promising to update me later."</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>"What time did he leave? And did he mention where he was going?"</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>"Around 6:45 pm. He said he was going to talk to Josh."</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>6:45! But Ned hadn't reached Omega Chi until 8. Nor had he met Joshua. So where had he been and what had he discovered in the meantime?</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>Nancy was still mulling over this new information when Sheena suddenly grasped her hands.</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>"Nancy. I've learnt so much since yesterday and the more I think about it, the more I feel that I must've over imagined some things. And now Ned is missing and I'm so scared. I just want to let you know that Joshua would never be connected to anything related to a missing person. If you need anything, please call me."</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>After reassuring Sheena that she would update her, Nancy left.</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>Instead of walking straight to Omega Chi, she took a detour towards the lake to collect her thoughts. Unlike early morning when she'd come here to look for clues, the place was now quite busy with walkers and picnickers.</p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p>Could Joshua be the perpetrator? There didn't seem to be any motive and where would even hide Ned. If he was the victim where had the pills come from and who was threatening him?</p>
                <p></p>
                <div>
                  <p>There was nothing else Nancy could do right now, other than talk to Joshua.</p>
                </div>
                <div>
                  <p>She had just turned her steps towards Omega Chi when her phone chimed indicating a new text message. Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw who it was from.</p>
                </div>
                <div>
                  <p>Ned.</p>
                </div>
                <div>
                  <p>
                    <em>Asking too many questions, Drew? Remember, curiousity killed the cat.</em>
                  </p>
                </div>
              </div>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Nancy tapped her foot impatiently against the floor of the Omega Chi living room as she waited for Joshua to return from work.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It had been half an hour since she'd received that message. When she'd tried to call back, it had gone to voicemail just like the other times.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>There was no question about the fact that someone was keeping quite a close eye on her. But who?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nancy had kept her eyes peeled on the the rest of the walk back but there had been too many people around. Her two main suspects were still Joshua and Sheena and although evidence pointed at Sheena more than ever now, her judgement told her that the girl was innocent. That left Josh himself. Who did not seem to have a motive.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>But still he hadn't been at the house when Ned had gone missing, and if he was guilty Nancy didn't want to be a sitting duck by meeting him somewhere alone.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Hey Nancy! Did you find anything?" Joshua's voice broke into her thoughts.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nancy nodded slowly as she watched him pull up a chair to sit in front of her. A red stain covered his sleeve. Ketchup. He worked at the cafeteria. Of course. But for a second, all she could think of was the bloodied note.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I met Sheena."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh." She saw a flicker of emotion cross his face. "Did you learn anything other than the fact that she hates me?"</p>
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p>"She doesn't hate you. At least not for the reasons you think."</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"What do you mean?"</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Nancy decided in a split second that being direct would be the best way ahead.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Joshua, have you ever used performance enhancing drugs for sports?"</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>She had been expecting him to be scared or angry but the look of utter bafflement on his face surprised her.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"What are you talking about?"</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Sheena found pills in your kit. She took them to check. She thinks you're doping."</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"What the hell! Nancy, I would never. Believe me, I have no idea what you're talking about." Joshua spoke in a harsh whisper, staring right into her eyes.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>She could only see truth in them. And pain. If he was lying, he would be the best actor Nancy had ever met.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"I believe you." She finally said and saw him visibly relax. "Can you think of anybody who might have had access to these drugs? Someone who might benefit from framing you?"</p>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>"I can't think of anyone."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>But this time she had the feeling that he wasn't so sure.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"I found some of Ned's notes on the case. He thought someone might be blackmailing you. And he mentioned some Jefferson. Think clearly, Joshua. Ned's life.."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>She stopped speaking when she saw the look on his face. He had gone deathly pale.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Are you okay?"</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Joshua nodded weakly and then took a deep breath.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"I think Ned was onto something. There's only one Jefferson I know of, Alex Jefferson Wheeler."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Emerson's star athlete!</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Care to explain?"</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"You must already know that there have been rumours around the campus regarding doping by Emerson athletes."</p>
      <p></p>
      <div>
        <p>She nodded.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"I used to think that's all they were. Rumours. I've been in the team for almost four years and these guys are like family and I believed I knew everything there is to know about them. Until a few months ago. We'd gone down to Chicago for the States and I was rooming with Alex. The day we were supposed to come back, I was packing and I found a bunch of pills stashed away in the corner of the closet. When I asked Alex later, he brushed it off saying it was just medication for migraines."</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"What made you suspect he was lying?"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"I didn't at the moment. It hit me a few months later when the rumours first started. That's when I began to recall the signs. The fact that in the last four years he had never mentioned suffering from migraines. How he'd been awfully scared when I'd asked. The terrible mood swings. He had been quite a fun guy. We used to hang out all the time and then all of a sudden he'd closed of. Didn't interact with the rest of us much anymore. At that time we'd all thought it was because his long time girlfriend had broken up with him. We figured he was just going through a lot."</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"Are you sure about all this?"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Joshua gave her a pointed look.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"I don't have proof, if that's what you mean. All I can tell you is that Alex had been struggling ever since senior year started. His timing deteriorated. He couldn't keep up with training. Burnout happens to all us. But the way he suddenly jumped back in a matter of days was nothing short of a miracle. I hated to think this way of a friend but I'm not the only way. The other guys have been wondering too."</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"But why would he try to frame you?"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>He gave her an exasperated look.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"I didn't even know I was being framed until you mentioned this. Maybe he realised I found out. Everything had been so messed up, I think it was easier for me to believe that the person who I loved the most was somehow behind all this. Even though it seems so stupid now. I guess I just had to prove it to myself that I am better off without her. That's why I was so keen on you investigating. " Joshua shook his head. "Honestly I don't know anything anymore."</p>
        <p></p>
        <div>
          <p>"And if you did suspect something why didn't you inform somebody?"</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>Looking away he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"Nancy, I don't know how much you know about me but I'm here on a scholarship. My father died when I was very young and my mother tried her best to support me and my sister. But there was never enough. And this was before the diagnosis and the medical bills. I'm not kidding when I say we're drowning in debt. If I lose my spot on the team, I lose my scholarship. And there is no way I can afford to stay here."</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>For the first time, Nancy noticed the dark circles under his eyes. How he worked two jobs and always looked tired. Her heart contracted with sympathy.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"Most sportspersons dream of making a career in their respective fields. I don't. I need something more stable. Something that will help pay the bills and give my family the life they deserve. Emerson was going to give me that opportunity by providing me with the degree. And I'm so close, Nancy. Just a few more months until graduation. Alex is Coach Wheeler's only son. I respect the coach but you must understand why I couldn't risk it. But now that Ned's in danger, I'll do anything."</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>Nancy reached over and gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I know you will. And we'll find Ned. Tell me have you seen Alex around?"</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"No. He stayed away from college for around two weeks while recuperating from his injury. Actually Coach was the one who informed us. After returning, he didn't come for practice. I've seen him around only a couple of times but then again I've been awfully busy."</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>She nodded in understanding and went ahead to relate everything that had transpired since they'd met in the morning. Joshua listened in shocked silence.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"So checking Alex's house should be the first step. But how are we going to do that if he's somehow keeping a track on us?" He finally asked.</p>
          <p></p>
          <div>
            <p>She had been thinking about this too and an idea had started forming in her head. It was risky but..there was no time to deliberate.</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p>"I think I know a way we can use that to our advantage." She smiled, getting up. "But first we need to go shopping."</p>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>"I'll be fine! Stop worrying, Nan. Joshua and you are both my friends. This is the least I can do." Sarah protested from her seat in front of the mirror.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nancy took one last hard look at her. Sarah was almost the same height as Nancy. Now with her wearing Nancy's clothes, her short hair covered by a red blond wig and her green eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, they looked like twins.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Which had been the plan when Nancy had called her friend for help. Sarah had instantly agreed. They were lucky that they didn't even have to shopping for wigs. She already owned one from theatre and all they'd had to do was straighten out the curls to match Nancy's hair texture.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm not worrying. But promise me you'll call the police if you feel even the slightest bit threatened." She said, hugging her roommate.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I promise. And I'm also going to call the police if you're not back in two hours." Sarah replied with a look that said she meant it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They wished each other good luck and then the other girl left. Nancy took another look in the mirror. In a nondescript dark sweatshirt and jeans, her hair pulled up into her cap that she'd drawn low over her face, she was sure she wouldn't draw any attention.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Here was the plan. Sarah was going to take Nancy's car and meet up with Joshua. Then pretending to be Nancy, they were going to drive around and visit some of the places Ned had last been seen in such as the lake and the gym. Giving Nancy enough time to check out Alex's house.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She was counting on three things for her plan to work. One. Alex was still following her. Two. He was working alone. Three. He wouldn't come close enough to figure out it was Sarah in her place. The last one she was certain of. She couldn't recall seeing him around and with Joshua there, he wouldn't dare.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She waited fifteen minutes before making her way to Sarah's car. Then taking a deep breath, she drove away.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It took her almost thirty minutes to reach Alex's apartment. She'd learned that although his father lived on campus, he had moved off campus at the beginning of his senior year. But she'd never expected it to be this far away from college.</p>
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p>New text message from Ned.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>
      <em>Look in the lake, detective. Maybe your boyfriend's there.</em>
    </p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Nancy grinned. Her plan was working.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>She parked in an alley a block away and quickly made her way up the stairs of the three storey building. The place itself looked shady with the paint peeling and 'To-Let' signs covering most of the windows. Why would Alex choose to live here when he had a perfectly nice place with his father? Unless he had something to hide?</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Not letting her nerves take over, Nancy put her ear against the door and listened for a minute. Not hearing anything, she quickly took out her lock picking tool and jimmied the lock.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>The house was completely dark. Using a flashlight to guide herself she took a quick stock of the house. She didn't find anything suspicious in the living room or the kitchen. Which left only the two bedrooms to be checked out.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>The first one had an unmade bed, probably the one Alex slept in. The door of the other room was shut.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Her pulse racing, Nancy opened it and walked inside. Only to trip over something on the floor.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Stopping herself from screaming she shined her flashlight on the floor and her heart stopped. Ned was lying prone on the floor, his hands and feet tied. A red stain covered one side of his t-shirt.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Shaking with fear, Nancy dropped to her knees and put her ear against his chest. Thank God, he was still breathing. His pulse was weak but steady.</p>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>But that wound...</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Gingerly, she lifted his shirt. An ugly gash about an inch and a half wide covered his left side. Most of it had scabbed over but there was a tiny trickle of blood still flowing.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Anger bubbled in her. It looked like a stab wound but she couldn't be sure. What had Alex done to him?</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Not wanting to risk infecting it, she took out a clean handkerchief and dressed it as well as she could to stem the flow.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>But no matter what she did, Ned wouldn't wake up, his head rolling lifelessly onto his side.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>She had hoped they would be able to escape first and then go to the police. But there was no way she would be able to get him to the car in this state. She had to call them now.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Nancy knew she had spent too much time debating when the sound of the front door opening interrupted the dead quiet.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>The room was bare with only a single bed in one corner of the room. Not waiting to think, she dived under it and pressed herself against the wall.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>She realised a second too late what she had done wrong. She'd forgotten to close the door. And she had lost her phone somewhere on the floor.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>The only thing she could do now was pray that Alex would not notice.</p>
      <p></p>
      <div>
        <p>But of course he did. She heard footsteps coming closer and then suddenly stopping. A light switched on and Nancy had to press deeper into the shadow. She could hear shuffling but the angle of her position was such that she couldn't see what was going on without risking discovery.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>A deep throaty laughter broke the silence, sending a chill down her spine. It didn't sound like it belonged to a sane person.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Before she could quite recover from the fear, the footsteps came closer at alarming speed. All she could see was a pair of white sneakers before a hand reached in and grabbed her.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>As she was being dragged out, Nancy caught a glimpse of angry blue eyes and dark hair. The smiling poster boy from the Emerson flyers was nowhere in sight.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>She jammed her elbow into his stomach with all her might and Alex grunted, just slightly loosening his hold on her.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>She had a swiss knife in her pocket. If only she could get her hand loose... Twisting around, she tried to wrench herself free but he was too strong.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>She tried a backward kick but he didn't let go of her as they stumbled against the wall. He had one hand around her collar now.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>No matter what she tried, she couldn't unfree herself as he turned her and pushed her towards the wall.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>His rage filled eyes was the last thing Nancy saw before he slammed her head against the wall and the world went dark.</p>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Her head throbbed painfully as Nancy slowly came back into consciousness. For a second, she couldn't remember where she and she panicked when she couldn't move her arms or legs. Then it all came rushing back to her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She was on the floor, her hands and feet tied, her back against something hard. Opening her eyes slowly, she took bearing of her surroundings. It took a while for eyes to adjust to the dark but she soon realised that she was still in the room. She could make out Ned's form a couple of feet to her left.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>So Alex had left them alone for the while. But what did he have in mind for them?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She didn't know how long she'd been out and whether Alex was still in the house but she knew she had to take advantage of being alone.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Wriggling her tied hands behind her back, she tried to reach into her pocket. Thank God, the knife was still there.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Very slowly and painfully, she managed to get it out. It was even more difficult to get it to open with her numb fingers but ultimately she did. Then slowly she began to saw through her bonds.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had just managed to cut into about half the ropes when she heard a high pitched female voice somewhere in the house. Her senses heightened, she strained to hear what the woman was saying but couldn't make out the words. Where had she heard that voice?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Just then she heard footsteps coming towards her. She had barely managed to shift her position to completely conceal her hands before the light flicked on.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Up so soon, Drew?" Alex face swam into her vision.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"How do you know me?"</p>
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p>"He didn't. I did. You're sort of famous in River Heights. Detective extraordinaire. What a joke." Kourtney waltzed into the room, sharpening a blade.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Alex put an arm around her waist.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"I suppose you've already met my girlfriend."</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Girlfriend! Nancy suddenly realised that it hadn't been Alex who was stalking her. It had been Kourtney. In fact she remembered seeing her around. The conspiracy ran deeper than she could have ever imagined.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"We read the messages your boyfriend sent you. We knew you were going to be trouble when I saw you earlier today on campus. And you were with that wild goose chase you just sent me on." The way Kourtney had her knife pointed at Nancy was unnerving her.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"She's gonna pay for that, babe." Alex crooned to her. "Did you send the message?"</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Uh huh." Kourtney bent down and flashed Nancy's phone in her face.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>
      <em>Ned's not here, Josh. I think we were wrong. Checking out something else. Meet me by the fountain in the park at 10:30.</em>
    </p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>Nancy quickly checked the time before Kourtney snatched away the phone. It was 9:45.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Well I better go and meet your friend." Kourtney smiled at her, tucking the knife in her boot.</p>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>Nancy had less that forty five minutes to save Joshua.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Why did you kidnap Ned?" She turned towards Alex once Kourtney had left.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Same reason you're here. You meddled in my business."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"But why? You had everything." She had to keep him talking to distract him from noticing that she was discreetly trying to cut the ropes binding her wrists.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Alex's face twisted into a crooked smile.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Well curious, aren't you? Let me tell you a story. I was eight when my brother Alan died. Barely eighteen but already set to become one of the greatest sportsmen the country would see. It was obvious he was my father's favourite and his death broke my father. And then he turned to me. Dedicated his entire life towards making me the athlete his older son would've become."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>He laughed, an ugly humourless laugh.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"And he was successful. After a while I started to realise what this life brought. Popularity, girls, awards, money. And the main thing. Believe me, Nancy I've tried a lot of things. But there is no high like the high of victory."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Nancy had almost gotten her hands loose now..</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"For a while, all was great. Before everything started to go wrong. The losses. Injuries. And I craved that high. Needed it. That's when I met Kourtney. Her brother deals these drugs. Some of this stuff won't even come up in tests. Again for a while things were good. I'd messed up just once and Joshua had seen them but I was sure I had him fooled."</p>
      <p></p>
      <div>
        <p>"Then the rumours started. Of course I had been wrong and he had been the one to spread them. So I started sending him the notes, hoping he'd be scared enough to quit the team. I know enough about his family to know he would never be able to afford Emerson without the scholarship. But when he didn't, I decided to go a step further. Kill two birds with one stone if you may. I put a bottle of pills in his kit and sent in an anonymous letter to my father suggesting he do a check that day. But Joshua must've told and my father must have believed him because that evening when I returned home I found him sitting here, my stash spread out on the coffee table."</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Alex gritted his teeth.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"Do you know, Nancy, what it feels like for your only family to choose someone over you? I do. Because that day, my father told me he was disowning me. He would not let me participate in any competitions coming up- the University Championships next month, the Europe Meet, the Decathlon. Instead, he was going to ask the university to sponsor Josh while I was supposed to feign injury and quit. Permanently. These are the tournaments that would ultimately get me into the Olympics and my father was just giving away the one thing I'd worked my whole life for. To the person who had ruined everything for me. He said he was doing me a favour by not letting the administration know so that I can get my degree. This coming from a man I've worked the last sixteen years to please." He spat.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"What were you going to do to Josh?"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"Believe me, nobody was going to get hurt. Only if Josh had realised what's good for him. When he didn't I made another plan. What if he was to lethally overdose on some of these drugs?" The frankness in his voice sent a shiver down Nancy's voice.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"And then he involved your boyfriend. Asking all these questions. I saw him hanging around my father's house. Obviously trying to collect evidence to show the Dean. Now I have to get rid of all three of you." He said it as if it was just a minor inconvenience.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>So Alex hadn't realised how flawed his plan was. So many people already knew what he was up to.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Her hands were loose now. But her feet were still bound...</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"You'd never pull it off." She mocked.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"What makes you think so?" He sneered, bending down to her level, his faces inches from her.</p>
        <p></p>
        <div>
          <p>Nancy didn't wait. Swinging her arm as hard as she could, she punched him in the nose. At the same time, she used her feet to trip him. She was ready to use the knife if need be, but in the end she didn't have to. Alex's skull hit the floor with a dull thud and he was out in an instant.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>After cutting the bonds around her ankles, Nancy searched around the house till she found a phone. Ned's. And then she called the police.</p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Nancy sat on a stool in the hospital ward and glanced worriedly at Ned, still asleep on the bed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The last few hours were a blur now. Help had arrived within minutes, reason being Joshua and Sarah had gone to the police even before Nancy had called them. Nancy had to go to the precinct with them to give her statement while Ned had been whisked away in an ambulance.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had rushed back as soon as she could only to find that Ned was in surgery. He had been stabbed just like she had suspected.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The one hour wait when she had been given no other news had been torturous. She had used that time to call his parents and her father and tearfully explain what had happened. They were already on their way here.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When the doctor had finally called and updated her, she had been so relieved it had taken quite some effort to not scream the place down. Although Ned had lost blood and he had needed stitches, he had been lucky the injury hadn't caused any major damage. The reason he had been out for so long was that he had been drugged heavily. They expected him to wake up anytime now and so she had been allowed to stay with him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>But now looking at him still asleep, IV drip in his wrist, she wondered if she had celebrated too soon. Every time she looked at how pale he was, her heart broke a little. What if the doctor had been wrong?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nancy took his hand and laced it with hers, seeking comfort from how familiar it felt. She was so tired. She had been on her feet since early morning and it was already hours after midnight.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nancy had just started drifting off from exhaustion when she felt his hand twitching slightly against hers. Every trace of fatigue vanished as she waited for him to wake up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Ned blinked a few times. "Nancy?"</p>
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p>"Yeah, baby. How are you feeling?" She asked softly as she gently helped him sit up.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Okay I guess. Where am I?" He asked, his voice gruff.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Emersonville Hospital. Do you remember what happened?"</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>He thought for a moment before answering. "It's coming back. Joshua.. Alex Wheeler... I was stabbed?"</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>She nodded sadly and then proceeded to tell him what all had happened. Sometime between this, the doctor came in to check on him and Nancy was glad when he declared that Ned would be discharged in a day or so if he promised to take it easy for a while.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Wow." He said when she was finally done, a dazed expression on his face.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Ned, why didn't you suspect Joshua after what you'd heard from Sheena?" She wanted him to rest but there were still a few gaps in the story that were nagging her.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"Mostly because he is a friend and I trusted him. Why would he go to the trouble of sending himself threats for no apparent reason? But I obviously couldn't just rely on my gut feelings regarding this. So after I left Sheena, I went to the tracks to confront Josh."</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"But you didn't meet him then, did you?" Nancy was confused.</p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <p>"No. Because I saw Coach Wheeler leaving his office and on a hunch I decided to take a look. I found two notes buried in his drawer. One just said if the Coach knew what's good for his team, he should have a look in Joshua's kit that day. It was exactly like the ones Josh had received. The other was a printed letter with very comprehensive details about how "Jefferson" was hiding drugs in his house. Both were unsigned. I knew they had something to do with the case."</p>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>"What did you do next?"</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Josh had already left for work by then. I couldn't even catch him at the house. I had some time so I went down to the faculty accommodations to see if I could make my way into the Coach's house. Get more info on who this Jefferson was."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Wait! So you didn't know that was Alex's middle name?"</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Ned shook his head.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"I didn't know him personally. Remembered hearing it once way too late. By then I was already sitting in his car with a knife in my side. I hung out around Coach's place for a while but he was home so I decided to go meet Josh. You know that short cut which cuts through the woods? I was halfway through when I felt like someone was following me. Next thing I knew two people jumped me. I tried to fight back before I realised they had a knife and were willing to use it. They forced me to walk to their car. By then I wasn't feeling so brave. I don't remember much after that but I think I passed out about fifteen minutes after they started driving and then woke up here."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>That made sense. Ned's car had been found abandoned in a field off the highway. They had probably returned and stolen it to create the impression that Ned had left on his own will. And they had already confessed to attempting to hack into his accounts to find what he had been up to.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Kara Foster wrote that letter to Mr Wheeler."</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>Ned's eyes grew wide with recognition.</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"Alex's ex girlfriend? They were already broken up when I joined but I'd heard that they were a hot thing before. How'd you find out?"</p>
    </div>
    <div>
      <p>"She was here an hour ago. She's known since last summer. Suspecting Alex of cheating on her, she did some spying. Turned out, his affair with Kourtney wasn't the only thing he was hiding. It freaked her out because she had been arrested as a juvenile once. For possession. And she had trusted him enough to let him know about that part of her life she never wanted to go back to. Kara was afraid Alex would reveal the past she had kept so long a secret."</p>
      <p></p>
      <div>
        <p>The girl had been a nervous wreck when she had come to meet Nancy on hearing what had happened. She blamed herself because she had been too scared to choose the direct path to punish Alex. Instead she had been the one who had spread the rumours in the first place. It had only been a coincidence that she had sent that letter the same day as Alex.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"She's giving her statement to the police. In any case, Alex and Kourtney are going to be in prison for a long time for assault, kidnapping and attempted murder." Nancy added.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Ned was quiet for a while. Then he took her hand and placed it against his chest.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"Thank you, Nan. For saving me." He grinned suddenly and pretending to hold a microphone, spoke exaggeratedly. "In a modern retelling of a fairy tale, a beautiful and brave princess saved a handsome but helpless prince from the evil ogres. It was dramatic.."</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>At that, Nancy couldn't hold it back any more. She burst into tears. It had been so tough to plug her emotions, to be brave for sake of his family and friends. But inside, she had been terrified. Terrified of never finding him again. And when she had, terrified that he wouldn't make it. There had been soo much blood..She didn't know what she would have done if something had happened to him.</p>
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      <div>
        <p>She let Ned pull her into the comfortable circle of his embrace.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"I'm okay, baby. We're both okay." He murmured against her hair as he wiped away her tears.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>When she felt better, she gave him a long bear hug.</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>"Easy there, grizzly. Stab wound!"</p>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p>Nancy immediately jerked back. "I'm so sorry!"</p>
        <p></p>
        <div>
          <p>But his eyes were dancing. "One kiss and I'll forgive you."</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>The kiss she gave him was no joke. When they finally parted, she could feel her head spinning.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>But Ned didn't let her go. Instead, he pulled her into another hug.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I'm not hurting you?"</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I think I'm going to take advantage of the anaesthesia as long as its available." He smiled.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I was so scared, Nan. For a while I thought I'd never get to do this again." He added softly.</p>
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        <div>
          <p>"I love you, Ned. And I'll always find you." Nancy whispered against his chest.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>"I know you will. I love you too, Nan." He whispered back as he ran his fingers through her hair.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>His parents would be here soon. Most of Omega Chi was currently in the waiting room waiting for a chance to meet him. And Ned needed his rest.</p>
        </div>
        <div>
          <p>Nancy knew that in a while she would have to leave. But right now, that was the last thing on her mind as Ned held her and she heard the reassuring sound of his heart beating against her heart. And she thanked every one of her lucky stars for keeping him alive.</p>
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